Truly Surprising Bubble Gum Facts That are Bound to Astound You

Bubble gum has been a rage among the youth for decades now. Here are some cool facts about bubble gum, that are bound to leave you astonished.

Dr. Sumaiya Khan

Last Updated: Feb 28, 2018

People the world over enjoy chewing bubble gum. This tiny pink piece of gum helps relieve stress, and it even helps one concentrate! There are many people that tend to get confused between chewing gum and bubble gum. However, there is one main difference between the two, and that is the gum base. Chewing gum base is a natural gum called chicle, harvested from the sap of a tropical tree called a Sopapilla. This kind of gum is chewy, but it will not blow to form a large bubble. Bubble gum base, on the other hand, is a mixture of starches and polymers made in a laboratory, and specially formulated to blow big bubbles.

Whatever the type, it is a hit with kids and also sportsmen. At you favorite game, you will invariably see your idol chewing away at some gum while contemplating his next move or tackle. Here are some amazing facts about this non-digestible snack.

Interesting Facts About Bubble Gum

100,000 tons of bubble gum is chewed every year all around the world.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest bubble ever blown measured 23 inches in diameter!

It is believed that ancient Greeks found relief from stress by chewing a gum that was made from a resin.

The first bubble gum ever marketed was done so under the name 'Blibber-Blubber'.

The color of the first successful bubble gum was pink, because it was the only color that was left with the inventor.

A mathematician once calculated and figured out that the energy Americans expend everyday when chewing bubble gum was enough to light a city of ten million people.

Another cool fact is that if your popped bubble gets stuck in your hair, you can remove it by rubbing the piece stuck with peanut butter (what you're supposed to remove the peanut butter with is beyond me!)

In the year 1983, Singapore proposed a ban on bubble gum in all housing projects, claiming that it cost the city SGD 75,000 per year to clean up discarded wads.

By the 1940s, bubble gum had become so popular that it was included in the ration kits given to U.S. soldiers.

Want to blow a huge bubble? Chew five pieces of bubble gum and add a teaspoon of peanut butter for at least five minutes to dissolve the sugar. Stop chewing just before the gum gets stiff. Blow indoors where it's not windy, as cold air makes gum brittle while hot air makes it melt. Blow very slowly and evenly, keeping your lips open, rather than pursed in a small, 'O'. Use one hand to prop the bubble under your mouth once you're done.

In Africa, it was said that various tribes accepted large quantities of bubble gum in lieu of sheep and oxen, as payment for a wife.

The average American chews around 300 sticks of gum in one year.

Richard Walker holds the world record for the Chomp Title, by chewing 135 sticks of bubble gum for 8 hours at a stretch. The first person to win the 'Chomp Title' was Sue Jordan, who chewed eighty pieces of gum for all of five hours and twelve minutes.

The head of the Philadelphia Chewing Gum Company (who happens to be the makers of Swell Bubble Gum), Edward L. Fenimore, has been said to have blown a bubble within a bubble within a bubble, that is, a triple whammy.

Kids in North America spend approximately half a billion dollars on bubble gum every year.

Chewing bubble gum is said to keep one from crying, as it reduces stress and helps in concentration.

One of the most famous, but false facts, is that swallowed gum will remain in your gastrointestinal tract for seven years. It is not so. Swallowed bubble gum will not get stuck to your intestines, but will pass through your system, because, gum base cannot be digested, as it has fiber that is indigestible.

So, the next time you go to a store and ask for some bubble gum, remember that you're just one of the millions of people reaching out for that tiny pink stick.